It is known and commonly practiced to apply heat shrinkable films such as labels to the cylindrical portions or bodies of containers by adhering the leading end of a label to the body by means of an adhesive, then wrapping the label around the body of the container and attaching the trailing end by adhesive to the container or lapping it over and attaching it to the leading end of the label. In carrying out this process the upper edge of the label and/or the lower edge of the label is allowed to extend over an inwardly sloping or contoured portion such as the shoulder of a bottle without being attached thereto. Thereafter heat is applied to shrink the unattached edge or edges onto the contoured portions of the container.
This method has been quite successful. However, a problem exists when the surface (or a portion of the surface) to which the label is applied is convex and presents a sector of maximum diameter or circumference with the remainder of the convex surface sloping inwardly toward the axis of the article. Heretofore it has been proposed, as in Spiegel U.S. Pat. No. 3,829,348 to apply a decorative heat shrinkable film to a spheroidal or spherical ornamental article such as a Christmas tree ornament or artificial Easter egg by providing the film in the form of a tube which is oversize in relation to the circumference of the ornament, fitting the tube over the article and then heat shrinking it onto the article.
Another approach to the problem is represented by Inoue U.S. Pat. No. 4,225,049 which applies a heat shrinkable film to a container, such having a convex portion presenting a sector of maximum diameter and circumference. An example of such a container is the familiar Coke.RTM. bottle ("Coke.RTM." and the shape of the bottle are both trademarks of Coca-Cola Company. Inoue, like Spiegel, provides a preformed tube of heat shrinkable film material which, however is smaller in diameter than the maximum circumference of the container. This tube is stretched and fitted over the container and is released and it is held in place by the elasticity of the film. It is then heated to shrink the entire tube onto the container.
Both such approaches have serious disadvantages such as the necessity to preform the tube in one operation and on one piece of equipment, then remove it and place it over the container or ornament and shrink it onto the container ornament.